Ghost Run gave Oisin Murphy a brilliant start to this year’s St Leger Festival at Doncaster, securing a determined victory in the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Nursery.
Murphy, who leads the jockeys' championship by over 40 winners ahead of Tom Marquand, is set for a busy first two days at Town Moor before heading to Canada for a ride at Woodbine on Saturday.
The 5-1 shot Ghost Run, dropping back into a handicap after an eighth-place finish in a valuable sales race at York three weeks prior, is a daughter of Andrew Balding’s 2000 Guineas winner Kameko. Murphy’s mount fought hard to the front and held off Oolong Poobong and Griselda by a neck and a head, respectively.
"She’s incredibly tough and a great representation of her sire Kameko with her attitude," Murphy said.
Anna-Lisa Balding, the winning trainer’s wife, added, "Andrew was quite confident this morning. She’s a lovely filly and, following the success of her half-sister Nymphadora, it’s wonderful to have another Kameko offspring doing well. Despite her small stature, she has a huge heart and truly wants this victory. It’s a real Kingsclere success story."